Untitled Bogeyman 2
by London1
Summary: Unfinished. Sequel to "Bogeyman". I'll post the rest when I finish it.


Untitled

Sequel to 'The Bogeyman'

By London

Rated R

Disclaimer: Like always, Bob Kane and DC Comics gets the credit for all characters. I created Rebecca Pennyworth. To read this story's prequel, check out 'The Bogeyman' on or This is set six months after 'The Bogeyman'

Chapter 1: Unkempt

Rebecca Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's new 'butler' and the latest person with the knowledge of Batman's secret identity, moved around the Wayne Manor den cleaning up the mess that Terry had made. She grumbled to herself when she found the empty pint of ice cream tipped over on its side. The spoon clung to the carpet. The Persian carpet, Rebecca reminded herself.

She threw the ice cream carton into the trash and took the spoon, along with three glasses and two plates, into the kitchen.

'I'm going to have a talk with Terry' Rebecca told herself. She shook her head a little and took a deep breath.

Going back to the den, now equipped with her cleaning solvents, she sighed and decided to put her long black hair up. She twisted her hair until it was up in a bun and then got to work.

She turned the tv on and listened while she scrubbed the carpet.

"—When the 1st Bank of Gotham was bombed. There were only two survivors, who claim that they don't remember seeing or hearing anyone, but only felt pangs of fear" The news anchor reported. Rebecca looked up from scrubbing. She hated it when things like this happened. Bruce and Terry hadn't told her about this, which means it happened recently. The tv was showing security footage that had been saved from the explosion. Two men in black showed up with guns pointing at the tellers. One turned and the footage went black. "The police are asking for any information on the two criminals."

"I bet they are" Rebecca said, her English accent a nice contrast to the American voices. She stood up and went to the kitchen. She washed her hands. She pulled a glass from the cabinet and filled it with cool water just as she heard the front door open and close.

"Becca?" Terry called as he rushed into the kitchen. Rebecca handed him the water and he drank it. It was still half full as he went down into the Batcave. "Thanks."

Rebecca followed him.

"I suppose it would be too much to ask you to be careful" Rebecca said.

"Danger's my middle name" Terry said with a smile. Bruce didn't move from his chair as they entered the cave. Terry sat the glass down on the lab table and went to go change.

"1st Bank of Gotham?" Rebecca asked moving to stand behind Bruce. He grunted. On one small monitor, he had the video footage of the crime on replay. On the large screen, he had a possible escape route plotted out on a large map of Gotham. "Shall I cancel your plans for the opera tonight?"

"Yes" Bruce said. Rebecca watched the video footage until she could faintly make out the faintest hint of a mask.

"He's wearing a mask" Rebecca said pointing to the monitor.

"They both are" Bruce grumbled.

"No, look" Rebecca said. She pointed to the screen. "It looks like he's wearing a theatre mask or something. Look at his brow ridge."

"What's going on?" Terry asked coming up behind them. Bruce was going frame-by-frame through the video footage until he got to the frame he wanted. He zoomed into the picture until they could faintly make out the shape of an animal shaped mask.

"Looks like a tiger mask" Bruce said.

"I guess someone 'let the cat out of the bag'" Rebecca said. She stood up straight and took Terry's now empty glass. Bruce glanced her way with his patented 'not in the mood' look. "I'll be upstairs, sir."

"Any idea where these two are supposed to be?" Terry asked.

"No" Bruce said. "Get down there and check out the clues. See if anyone saw what they were driving."

Rebecca climbed the stairs as the batwing roared out of the cave.

"Get me DuCassi, now!" Commissioner Gordon yelled to a passing police officer. By the time Batman had shown up to what was once the 1st Bank of Gotham, it had started to rain by the buckets. Batman watched as DuCassi, a thin Italian cop, approached Comm. Gordon while trying to keep the rain from getting into his coat. He didn't need his audio equipment to hear what she was saying to him. "What did you find in there?"

"There's no evidence, Commish" DuCassi said. Terry clicked on his boot rockets and glided down. "These guys didn't even leave a footprint."

"They did leave one thing" Batman said. The Commissioner turned and crossed her arms.

"What are you doing here?" Comm. Gordon asked. DuCassi looked Batman over with narrowed eyes, but didn't make any movement to do anything about the vigilante's presence.

"I've seen the footage" Batman said.

"You saw something we didn't?" Comm. Gordon asked. She didn't seem too affected by the rain, but she swiped at the water that dripped from her nose.

"The men in the tape were wearing animal masks" Batman replied.

"Maybe they were going to a party afterwards" DuCassi said crossing his arms. He clammed up when Batman looked at him.

"Do you know how many places in Gotham sell animal masks?" Comm. Gordon asked.

"Did anyone see what kind of vehicle these guys were driving?" Batman asked.

"You aren't a cop and this is police business" DuCassi said vehemently. Comm. Gordon looked at DuCassi with a raised eyebrow.

"I want all witnesses down at the station, DuCassi" Comm. Gordon said to DuCassi. He nodded and left. "Look, Batman, this is the second time these guys have hit a bank in as many weeks. They haven't left any evidence. No one has seen them leave. As far as we know, they just 'disappear'."

"How are the witnesses when you talk to them?" Batman asked. "Anything strange there?"

"Most of them claim that they passed out" Comm. Gordon said.

"Ten to one, it's gas" Batman said.

"Ask her if the witnesses are hysterical, more so then they should be" Bruce said in Batman's ear.

"Are the witnesses hysterical?" Batman asked. "More so then they should be?"

"Slightly" Comm. Gordon said. "Why? What do you know?"

"I'll let you know when I figure it all out" Batman replied. He clicked on his boot rockets and disappeared in the falling rain.

Chapter 2: Welcome Back

The night had been long and fairly uneventful. Rebecca had stayed up long after Bruce had gone to bed. Even though she had undergone two months of therapy and was now on paxil, a common drug used for anxiety attacks, she still felt fearful of the dark. The Bogeyman, who was stopped and placed into prison, still haunted Rebecca's thoughts.

Rebecca retied her robe and waited for her tea kettle to whistle. This was getting to be a bad habit. The kettle puffed a bit of steam, signaling that there were mere seconds before it would start whistling. Rebecca quickly moved it from the stove and poured herself a cup of tea.

Rebecca sat down at the large island counter and gazed at the kitchen. In the trash, she saw a corner of newspaper sticking up through the rest of the garbage. She hadn't seen a newspaper in two days. Terry had said that Bruce had taken them to the office.

Rebecca took out the paper and made a face when she thought of the germs that must be on it. Pushing her disgust aside, she stared at the front page. The headlines simply stated: 'Fear Escaped Blackgate Penn'. Below the bold headline was a police headshot of the Bogeyman. Rebecca gasped and gripped the paper until her knuckles turned white.

She stalked into the den and turned the television onto the news. She stood there for nearly twenty minutes until the news anchors brought up the escape. How had she missed it? Rebecca put a hand to her head and sank to her knees. The newspaper crumbled in her hand as she used it to brace her self.

Pain, from stress as the doctors said, raced through her head making her feel as if she had been hit by a baseball bat. The rain, which had been pouring down all night, seemed to grow louder. Rebecca looked at the window. Lightning flashed, making her gasp. A dark figure rushed past the window.

"No" Rebecca whispered.

Rebecca stood up and listened to the noises.

"My imagination" Rebecca told herself. All she heard was rain, thunder, and the crash of lightning. Something scratched outside, but she couldn't see what it was. Rebecca slowly took steps towards the kitchen. The kitchen seemed still, almost too still.

Rebecca picked up the phone and quickly dialed Terry's cell phone number. As lightning flashed outside of the kitchen window, she caught something else move past the window.

Rebecca's heart beat wildly as she listened to the phone ring.

"Yeah?" Terry grumbled after the fifth ring.

"Terry!" Rebecca yelped loudly into the phone. Thunder and lightning crashed nearly simultaneously. A cold sweat ran down Rebecca's spine.

"Becca?" Terry asked. His sleepy voice sounded fully awake. "Becca, what's wrong?"

"Oh god, oh god" Rebecca said. She slid down to sit on the floor with her back against the island counter. Her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her rib cage.

"Becca, tell me what's wrong" Terry said. "Where's Bruce? What happened?"

Rebecca took a deep breath just as the kitchen window shattered. She unleashed a bloodcurdling scream and dropped the phone. Rebecca crawled out of the kitchen and managed to get to her feet. She ran to the den. Another window shattered, leaving Rebecca to scream again. Ace rushed into the room barking at the shadows that danced around the room.

Rebecca never registered Ace's presence. She watched as rain spattered inside. The strong, cold wind touched her face, but she saw nothing out the windows.

"Rebecca" A deep voice said. Rebecca turned to see Bruce in the doorway. He was only wearing his lounge pants, signifying that he had hurried. Rebecca moved towards him, picking up her pace as another window shattered. Rebecca buried her face into Bruce's shoulder and felt him put an arm protectively around her. "What's going on?" He looked at the still barking dog. "Ace!"

"He's here, he's here" Rebecca mumbled. Bruce made a grumbling sound and moved to turn the lights on. He moved to sit Rebecca down on the couch before moving to look at the shattered glass. Someone had thrown large rocks through the windows.

"Call Terry" Bruce said.

"I already did" Rebecca said sounding like she was starting to hyperventilate. Bruce looked at the rock in his hand. In black letters it read 'peek-a-boo'. Bruce, still holding the rock, went to sit next to his frazzled butler.

"He won't get you" Bruce said. "You're safe here."

Rebecca gave him a look that said she didn't believe him. Bruce held up the rock so she could see it.

"We'll fix the windows and there won't be a relapse of this" Bruce said. The buzzer by the door rang rapidly. Rebecca's mouth dropped open and Bruce went to go see who it was.

"Bruce! Rebecca!" Terry screamed over the intercom. Bruce took his finger off of the intercom and pressed the button so the gates would open for Terry. Bruce stopped near the doorway and touched his head.

"It was just…just Terry" Bruce said. He hunched over a tiny bit.

"Mr. Wayne?" Rebecca asked. She watched as Bruce sunk to his knees. "Mr.Wayne!" She rushed over to him as the door opened. "Bruce!"

"What happened!" Terry asked wildly. He shut and locked the door on habit before moving to kneel beside Bruce.

"The rocks and –and he collapsed" Rebecca choked out. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Call 911" Terry said. "Wait. What rocks?"

Rebecca pointed to the two piles of broken glass in the den before moving into the kitchen to call 911. Terry pushed Bruce onto his back and pressed his fingers to his neck. There was a definite heart beat. Terry could feel his heart race and took a deep breath to calm him self down. He pressed his ear to Bruce's chest. Bruce was definitely breathing.

"C'mon, old man!" Terry said. He looked at Bruce and found him to be non-responsive. His eyes didn't follow his waving hand. He didn't move when Terry snapped his fingers next to his ear, though Terry wasn't sure if he would move if he had been awake. "Your vital signs seem to be okay." Terry said to Bruce, as if this were a test. "You're breathing. You can't move your eyes and your auditory responses are nil, but you're alive."

Rebecca came back out into the den and knelt beside Bruce.

"The ambulance is on its way and they're sending two cop cars" Rebecca said. Terry nodded.

"Look, he's still alive" Terry said. "Stay here. I'm going to look at that rock." Terry moved and crouched down next to the rock that hadn't been moved. "Becca, you said that he touched the rock?"

"He picked it up" Rebecca said. Terry looked down at the rock and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's Him, isn't it? The Bogeyman."

"I don't know" Terry said. He stretched, retrieving a blanket from the couch. He covered the rock and picked it up. "We'll see if there's anything on this." Terry stood up. "I'll be right back."

Rebecca watched Terry hurry off to the Batcave before looking down at Bruce. He looked like he had died, except his skin still retained its color. Rebecca took his hand and squeezed it.

Gotham P.D. came and went by five am. They had gotten statements from both Rebecca and Terry, while escorting the ambulance to Gotham Memorial Hospital. An extra squad car had been called in and was to remain on the grounds for a full 24 hours, Commissioner's orders.

Rebecca was huddled in a tight ball on the couch. Terry was in the old, brown leather chair staring at the tv. The cops never touched the television. They had questioned Rebecca and Terry in the kitchen, leaving the television to relay the news.

"Do you know anything about chemistry?" Terry asked, breaking the silence. Rebecca looked over at him.

"A little bit" Rebecca replied. Terry nodded and clicked the button to turn the television off.

"Let's get to work" Terry said.

Terry and Rebecca looked out of place in the moist Batcave. Both of them wore special long sleeved shirts and pants that were chemical resistant, long rubber gloves, long black aprons, breathing masks, and goggles. Rebecca had collected half dozen books on toxicology and chemistry. They read up on what needed to be done to the rock, which was now sitting in a white tray under strong light.

"Hand me two screw-cap vials" Terry said. "And two short cotton swabs."

Rebecca handed him the two vials, which were sealed with tape, certifying that they were sterile. The two cotton swabs were in they're paper packaging. Terry ran the swabs over the rock and placed each one into a separate vial. Rebecca took notes.

Terry put the rock aside, encasing it in a Plexiglas box. Terry and Rebecca looked at the two vials. The swabs looked clean.

"What would Bruce do?" Terry asked himself.

"Well, what do we need to know?" Rebecca asked. She put her notebook down and sat on a stool.

"We need to know what this stuff is" Terry replied. Rebecca wrote that down.

"We also need to know how long the stuff lasts" Rebecca said writing down her comment.

"We need to find a cure or an antidote or something" Terry said.

"Theoretically, if we could analyze the particles, then we would have a lot of questions answered, right?" Rebecca said.

"That sounds right" Terry said. "Can we do that?"

"I'll go through the books" Rebecca said. She moved to the pile of books and started to go through the indexes.

"I'm going to get the computer ready to use some of this equipment" Terry said. "Even in his day, the old man had all of his chemistry stuff hooked up to the computer."

An hour passed.

"I think I found something" Rebecca said. "We need to use a transducer and distribution analyzer. Do we have that stuff?"

"A transducer and an analyzing what?" Terry asked moving from the computer to the chemistry lab table.

"A transducer and distribution analyzer" Rebecca repeated. Terry started to quickly look through the cabinets until he found what he was looking for. Rebecca read off the procedure for the experiment and Terry followed her instructions.

"How long does it sit here?" Terry asked as the machines did their job.

"The green light will switch to a red light" Rebecca replied. "It says that it will take an hour at the most."

"Great" Terry said.

"Why don't we get cleaned up and I'll make us something to eat?" Rebecca said. "If anything I think we both need some bloody coffee right about now."

"Might as well" Terry said.

After changing and washing up, Terry and Rebecca went upstairs. Soon, the smell of eggs, cheese, sausage, and toast filled the kitchen. Coffee had been made before the rest of the food was finished. Terry sniffed the air with a small smile.

"Smells schway" Terry said.

"Good" Rebecca said turning from the stove with two plates. "Because it's done."

The two ate their food quickly and hastily returned to the Batcave. The put on their special clothing and lab wear and checked their equipment.

"Looks like we still have a minute and a half left" Terry said. The computer already had a partial readout on the mixture.

"I don't even know what this stuff is" Rebecca said.

"I'm sure Bruce has something on at least some of the stuff in that machine" Terry said. He silently counted down with the small digital clock until the light went from green to red. "It's done."

The computer automatically printed out the results.

"I'm going to get cleaned up" Terry said. "Will you clean up the lab?"

"Yes, sir" Rebecca said. She moved to quickly place items in the large sterilizer. The two vials, which Rebecca marked A and B, were placed in a holder for vials. After turning on the sterilizer and wiping the lab table, Rebecca went to clean herself up.

The day went by extremely slow. Terry searched and printed out information on all eight substances that were in the transparent powder. Most of them happened to be contact poisons.

Rebecca had stayed nearby, but usually remained out of sight. She talked with the police outside, who reported that the commissioner didn't want them to visit Bruce for a few days. She thought that it would pose as an easy target to the person who threw the rocks.


End file.
